INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Keona McGee, Chicago State
Guard, Sophomore, 5-8, Milwaukee, WI/Dominican
Click HERE for Keona McGee's Influxer page.
McGee registered a pair of 20-point outings during Chicago State's homestand over the weekend. The sophomore guard averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in a 1-1 week for the Cougars. McGee dropped 20 points off 7-of-11 shooting in a 73-64 win over Saint Francis on Thursday night. The Milwaukee native followed that performance up with a 25-point showing during a nail-biting 77-76 setback against Mercyhurst on Saturday, while dropping four dimes. On the week, she shot an efficient 62.9 percent on field goals from the field. McGee is the only Cougar this season to score 20 or more points in back-to-back contests this season. Joining her teammate Aiyanna Culver, McGee is the second Chicago State athlete to be tabbed NEC Player of the Week during the 2025-26 campaign.

Addisen Sulikowski, New Haven
Forward, Sophomore, 5-10, Saco, ME/Thornton Academy (Saint Anselm)
During New Haven's western Pennsylvania road trip, Sulikowski showed out for the Chargers. The, now, two-time NEC Player of the Week averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game as New Haven posted a 1-1 record over the weekend. Additionally, the sophomore forward canned 10 three-pointers last week as she shot 62.5 percent from beyond the arc. Sulikowski netted 27 points off 11-of-14 shooting in a thrilling one-point victory at Saint Francis. The Saco, ME native scored the go-ahead and-1 bucket with 33 seconds left to break a 57-57 tie that stood for over two minutes. Sulikowski added six rebounds and a pair of steals in the win. She added 17 points, six board, an assist and a block in a three-point setback at Mercyhurst. Sulikowski led a 14-point fourth quarter comeback for the Chargers as she drained two shots from three-point land to help get them within one with under a minute left before the Lakers eventually prevailed. The 5-10 forward leads the league in three-point percentage, shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. Sulikowski is the third player to earn NEC Player of the Week honors multiple times this season – joining FDU's Ava Renninger and LIU's Kadidia Toure.

INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sofia Wilson, Mercyhurst
Guard, Freshman, 5-7, Avon Lake, OH/Magnificat
Claiming her fourth Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week honor, Wilson did it all as Mercyhurst won both its games and extended its winning streak to five. The freshman guard put up 17.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. In its riveting 77-76 win at Chicago State, Wilson led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed five boards. She netted six of her points in the fourth quarter as Mercyhurst battled the Cougars, taking its final lead of the game with 40 seconds left. The 5-10 rookie added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 66-63 win over New Haven on Thursday night. Over the weekend, Wilson went an efficient 17-of-19 from the charity stripe while shooting 47.0 percent from the field. The Avon Lake, OH native leads all NEC freshmen with 3.4 apg and ranks third in the league. The Lakers sit at 6-2 in league play and are tied for second in the league standings with LIU.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Lucia Noin, CCSU (Sr., F)
Last week: 15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 spg, 3.0 apg, 42.8 FG%, 36.3 3FG%

- Registered 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in a narrow setback against Stonehill on Saturday.
- Swiped the ball three times at FDU on Thursday night.
- Ranks fourth in the NEC with 13.5 ppg.

Keona McGee, CSU (So., G)
Last week: 22.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 62.9 FG%, 66.7 FT%

- Tabbed Influxer/NEC Co-Player of the Week.
- Dropped a career-high 25 points against Mercyhurst on Saturday. 
- Recorded back-to-back 20-point outings, marking the first time a Cougar has done so this season.
- Went an efficient 7-of-11 from the field in Chicago State's win over SFU on Thursday.

Kailee McDonald, FDU (So., G)
Last week: 14.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 41.6 FG%, 42.8 3FG%

- Netted 18 points off six three-pointers in FDU's 76-45 Thursday night win against CCSU.
- Swiped the ball twice in the Knights' victory at Le Moyne.
- Leads the league in three-point field goals (65) and three-pointers made per game (3.1). 
- Her 65 buckets from three-point land are the fourth-most in the nation. 
- Netted her 100th career three-pointer against CCSU.

Ashley Buragas, LEM (Jr., F)
Last week: 13.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 38.7 FG%

- Recorded her fifth double-double of the year on Saturday with 13 points and 15 rebounds against FDU.
- Droppped four dimes against the Knights.
- Owns the second-best field goal percentage in the league, making 51.3 percent of her shots from the field.

Cici Hernandez, MU (So., G)
Last week: 16.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 45.0 FG%, 47.0 3FG%, 75.0 FT%

- Canned five three-pointers on her way to 18 points in a three-point win over New Haven on Thursday.
- Dropped 14 points and dished out three assists in Saturday's 77-76 victory at Chicago State. 
- Scored the go-ahead bucket to put Mercyhurst up two with 40 seconds left against the Cougars.
- Nailed a pair of clutch free throws on Saturday to put the Lakers up four points with six seconds remaning.

Sofia Wilson, MU (Fr., G)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 47.0 FG%, 89.4 FT%

- Named Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season.
- Netted 22 points, handed out eight assists, nabbed five boards and recorded two steals at Chicago State.
- Added 12 points, five rebounds and four dimes in a three-point win against New Haven.
- Led the NEC in assists last week and is tied for the second on the year with 3.4 apg.

Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN (So., F)
Last week: 22.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 62.9 FG%, 62.5 3FG%

- Garnered Influxer/NEC Co-Player of the Week accolades for the second time this year.
- Dropped a career-high 27 pointsin a narrow one-point win at SFU on Saturday.
- Scored the go-ahead and-1 bucket with 33 seconds left against the Red Flash to give New Haven the lead.
- Canned 10 three-pointers over the weekend. 
- Added 17 points at Mercyhurst on Thursday night.

Brooke Paquette, STO (Jr., G)
Last week: 19.0 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.0 rpg, 37.9 FG%, 44.4 3FG%, 80.0 FT%

- Notched 21 points, five rebounds and five assists during Stonehill's 74-65 victory at CCSU.
- Scored 17 points at LIU on Thursday night. 
- Cashed in on eight three-pointers over the weekend. 
- Drained her 100th career three-pointer at CCSU on Saturday.

Ella Pelletier, STO (Fr., G)
Last week: 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 63.1 FG%, 37.5 3FG%, 83.3 FT%

- Registered her second double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds against CCSU on Saturday.
- Added four assists in the win over the Bllue Devils.
- Scored 13 points at LIU on Thursday.
- Shot at least 60.0 percent from the field in both games last week.

Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, WAG (Jr., F)
Last week: 13.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, 45.4 FG%, 70.0 FT%

- Posted her fourth double-double of the year scoring 19 points and nabbing 11 boards in Wagner's 59-54 win at LIU.
- Pulled down 11 rebounds in the Seahawks' victory over Le Moyne on Thursday night.
- Shot an efficient 57.1 percent from the field against the Sharks.

#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS

8 - CCSU's Kiyah Lewis was perfect from the charity stripe vs. Stonehill on Saturday as she went 8-for-8, making her the fifth NEC player to go perfect from free throw line off 8 or more foul shots this season.

7 - LIU's Kadidia Toure is one of only 7 players nationwide with six or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with her last such outing coming at Saint Francis on 01/10/26.

27 - FDU owns 27 consecutive wins over NEC opponents after a 6-0 start to league play. The Knights have won 13 those games at home during this stretch and haven't lost a home conference game since 02/24/24.

#NECWBB FAST BREAK

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Senior Lucia Noin has netted 20 or more points in three of the Blue Devils' last five games, including a 30-point outing on 01/17/26.

CHICAGO STATE: Keona McGee registered a pair of 20-point outings last week - becoming the first Cougar to do so this season.

FDU: The Knights boast the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing an average of just 52.3 points per game.

LE MOYNE: Junior Ashley Buragas registered her fifth double-double of the year on Saturday, making her the third NEC player to record five or more this season.

LIU: LIU is 6-2 to start out NEC play for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign and the first time donning the Sharks name.

MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst is riding a five-game winning streak and is 6-2 through its first eight games of conference play.

NEW HAVEN: Addisen Sulikowski dropped a career-high 27 points on Saturday as New Haven won a thrilling 61-60 contest at Saint Francis.

SAINT FRANCIS: SFU is one win away from becoming the first program to reach 400 NEC victories as the Red Flash earn win 399 on 01/17/26.

STONEHILL: Junior Brooke Paquette cashed in her 100th career three-pointer during Saturday's 74-65 victory at CCSU.

WAGNER: Wagner limited LIU to just nine points in the third quarter on Saturday to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. 

#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Week five of league play gets an early start on Thursday night with a pair of 5:00 p.m. games with action continuing with two games at 6:00 p.m. along with one 7:00 p.m. contest.

Action continues on Saturday afternoon with with a pair of 1:00 p.m. contest and three 2:00 p.m. games. 

This week’s games are highlighted by Stonehill visiting FDU on Thursday night, which will air live on ESPNU.

NEC ON NATIONAL TV
#NECWBB will appear on ESPNU this Thursday night in a rematch of the 2025 conference championship game when Stonehill visits FDU at 5:00 p.m. 

RYZ GAME OF THE WEEK
Thursday night’s game between Chicago State and Saint Francis in Loretto, PA is the RYZ Network Game of the Week. The 7:00 p.m. game will be aired on the FAST channel while streaming simultaneously on NEC Front Row.

Both teams are coming off one-point setbacks over the weekend as SFU fell to New Haven, 61-60, and Chicago State suffered a 77-76 defeat against Mercyhurst.

RYZ Sports Network brings the conference broader exposure with school-produced men’s and women’s Game of the Week broadcasts on its linear FAST channel, carried on Samsung TV+, Roku, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Live, Xumo, Xfinity, LG, Fubo and more. RYZ also connects with millions of viewers through the Atmosphere OOH network, bringing live sports to restaurants, gyms, hotels and other venues nationwide.

CLOSE GAMES
Of the 10 #NECWBB contests, four of them were decided by five points or less.

Mercyhurst 66, New Haven 63 (3)
New Haven 61, Saint Francis 60 (1)
Mercyhurst 77, Chicago State 76 (1)
Wagner 59, LIU 54 (5)

THREE-POINT CAREER MILESTONES
Stonehill junior guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin) and FDU sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, MA/Worcester Academy) each canned their 100th caree three-pointer last week.

McDonald owns 105 career made buckets from beyond the arc while Paquette has drained 102 three-pointers. 

UNDEFEATED
FDU remains the lone unbeaten squad in #NECWBB are out to a 8-0 start and are currently riding a 27-game win streak against NEC opponents.

13 of those wins have come at home during that streak as the Knights have claimed 14 consecutive home victories against NEC rivals, with their first home victory of this streak coming in a 2024 NEC quarterfinal against LIU on 03/11/25.

The Knights are currently one of 18 teams nationwide to have a winning streak of nine or more games this season.

FDU returns home this Thursday night against Stonehill at 5:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

DROPPIN’ DIMES
Reigning Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week Sofia Wilson (Avon Lake, OH/Magnificat) dished out eight assists in Mercyhurst’s 77-76 win at Chicago State, which matches the NEC season-high for assists in a conference game. 

FDU’s Ava Renninger, previously, dropped eight dimes on 01/10/26 against New Haven.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
FDU currently ranks fourth in the nation for scoring defense as the Knights allow just 52.3 points per game.

The only squads in the country that allow fewer points per game are McNeese (50.9) and No. 1 UConn (51.0).

The 8-0 Knights have allowed just 48.1 points per game in league play.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
Mercyhurst sophomore Cici Hernandez (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) has been on fire as of late and is making strides in her sophomore season. 

Hernandez has upgraded her 6.2 ppg a year ago to 12.6 ppg this season. She has already outscored her point total from last season with 239 compared to 156.

MAKING IT RAIN
LIU junior Solangelei Akridge (San Diego, CA/Mater Dei (Alabama State)) nailed seven three-pointers in the Sharks' 79-68 win over Le Moyne on 01/15/26 to match a NEC individual game-high this season.

FDU's Kailee McDonald also hit seven shots from three-point land on 12/04/25 against Lafayette.

Akridge ranks second in the conference with a 38.4 three-point field goal percentage and is tied for fourth 2.0 three-point field goals per game.

BIG TIME TOURE
Senior transfer Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) continues to make her mark on the league in her first season with LIU as the Sharks are 6-2 to start out NEC play since 2009-10.

Toure is the only NEC player to register 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game more than once this season. She is one of only seven players nationwide with six or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. 

Additionally, Toure is one of six DI players to lead their respective conference in both points and rebounds per game.

Toure swiped the ball six times against Stonehill on Thursday, which is the most by a player in a NEC contest this season. 

Her six steals are the most a LIU player in a conference game since Cristina Bermejo recorded six steals against the Skyhawks on 02/16/23.

PERFECT SHOOTING
With a 10-for-10 outing from the field in a 70-51 win over CCSU on 01/04/26, Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, CT/Putnam Science Academy (Saint Rose)) became the first NEC player in nearly 22 years - and the only one since the start of the 1998–99 season - to go perfect from the field with at least 10 makes. She finished the contest with 22 points after knocking down a pair of free throws, as well.

The senior forward joined NEC Hall of Famer Beth Swick, who went 10-for-10 for Saint Francis against Purdue in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (3/21/04).

She is one of only four players nationwide this season to make 10-plus shots without a miss and the only one to do it in the 2026 calendar year.

SHARP SHOOTIN’ KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 35.0 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average of 9.2 per game for a total of 193 on the year.

As a team, FDU ranks 16th nationally with 9.2 three-pointers per game, while their 193 three-point field goals are 13th in Division I.

Sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, MA/Worcester Academy) has drained 65 three-pointers this season, which is fourth in the nation.

SEEING DOUBLE
19 different NEC players from nine different schools have notched a double-double this season, with only 10 turning the trick more than once.

7 Kadidia Toure, LIU
7 Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
5 Ashley Buragas, LEM
4 Shelby Ricks, SFU
4 Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, WAG
2 Lucia Noin, CCSU
2 Tania Allen, CSU
2 Laura Molnárová, LIU
2 Ella Pelletier, STO
2 Irene Fernandez de Caleya, WAG

THE ROARING TWENTIES
Le Moyne junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, NJ/John Jay (Mineral Area College)) had a historic outing in the Dolphins’ 82-79 OT victory over Lafyette on 11/09/25, scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 boards.

It was the first 20-20 double-double by a NEC player since Merrimack’s Denia Davis-Stewart (25 points, 24 rebounds) on Feb. 21, 2020. Her 22 boards were the most in a game since Jan. 23, 2022 when Jada Dapaa snagged 23 boards. 

Her 22 boards were the second-most in Le Moyne program history and the most by a Dolphin since January 1988. 

Additionally, Buragas is one of 10 players in the country to grab 22 or more boards in a single game this season.

LEAGUE PLAY
Each #NECWBB will partake in an 18-game double round-robin schedule under the conference’s 10-team alignment this academic year. The schedule runs 10 weeks with the teams playing every Thursday and Saturday until Thursday, March 5th.

TOURNEY TIME
The NEC Women’s Basketball Championship will remain an eight-team playoff format in 2025-26 with every game being played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, advancing teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed.

WHO’S IN THE MIX?
With Mercyhurst now postseason eligible, nine of the 10 eligible teams will participate in this year’s NEC Tournament. NEC newcomer New Haven is not yet eligible for conference postseason play.

Stonehill has completed its Division I reclassification and is now eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season. Le Moyne and Mercyhurst are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to their current statuses as Division I reclassifying institutions.

If a reclassifying institutions wins the NEC Tournament championships, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier as per current policy. If two reclassifying member reach the conference final, the NEC will stage an “AQ” game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC’s spot in the NCAA Tournament. The “AQ” game will occur this season if both Le Moyne and Mercyhurst reach conference tournament final.

2025-26 INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Aiyanna Culver, CSU & Kadidia Toure, LIU
Nov. 17: Ava Renninger, FDU
Nov. 24: Madlena Gerke, FDU
Dec. 1: Ava Renninger, FDU
Dec. 8: Kailee McDonald, FDU
Dec. 15: Ava Renninger, FDU
Dec. 22: Brooke Paquette, STO
Dec. 31: Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN
Jan. 6: Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
Jan. 12: Kadidia Toure, LIU
Jan. 19: Cici Hernandez, MU
Jan. 26: Keona McGee, CSU & Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN
Feb. 2: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Kayden Clark, LEM
Nov. 17: Reese Roggenburk, STO
Nov. 24: Leah Crosby, FDU
Dec. 1: Leah Crosby, FDU
Dec. 8: Reese Downey, FDU
Dec. 15: Sofia Wilson, MU
Dec. 22: Ella Pelletier, STO
Dec. 31: Reese Downey, FDU
Jan. 6: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 12: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 19: Peyton Dincher, LEM
Jan. 26: Sofia Wilson, MIU
Feb. 2: